What is a Home Information Pack? (HIP)

Since 14 December 2007, it became a legal obligation for every home put on the market to have a Home Information Pack. A Home Information Pack includes valuable information about your property which could save you time, money and stress in the long run.

HIP documents ultimately gives consumers a clear picture of what they are buying or selling, making transactions more efficient and less likely to fall through between offer and exchange.

From April 6 2009, new regulations came in which mean that a HIP must be available on the first day a property is marketed for sale. If you are buying a property, just ask whoever is advertising it for sale for a copy of the Home Information Pack. This is usually an estate agent, but could be another business or individual. If you are a seller, you will not be allowed to market your property unless the HIP is available. Current regulations allow homeowners to begin marketing their property for sale as soon as they have ordered and committed to pay for their HIP.

The duty to provide a HIP falls on the person responsible for marketing the property (this is usually an estate agent).

For further information, please visit www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk